My blog turns 1 today

Hey kids, ol' Jax here.

The blog turns one year old today, Aug. 19. In dog years that's like what, age 21? So have a beer.

I'm in the garage right now waiting for the fog to lift outside. There's a half-assembled Weber grill in here. Does he expect me to put this together? Hello, do you really want me messing with propane with no opposable thumbs?

The Giants came from four runs back to beat the Reds 8-5 in 10 innings last night, and Ryan Garko had two clutch hits including the RBI double in the 10th that won it.

"Maybe now my teammates will stop avoiding eye contact with me in the locker room," Garko probably thought as he stood on second base.

Garko had been hitting .224 since he joined the Giants at the trade deadline. Some fans (and maybe teammates) doubted him.


Giants announcer Dave Fleming asked him after the game how it's been on the squad so far. His first response was "Uh, it's been OKAY ..." then he launched in to how great the team was and the fans and the city blah blah blah. Garko photo by bayareasportsguy.com.

For once it would be nice if a ballplayer were honest and said "Actually, these guys are pretty frosty when your situational hitting sucks."

This 11-game road trip to New York, Cincinnati and Colorado started off horribly at that first game at Citi Field. Then in the last game in New York the Giants exploded for a 10-1 win and split the series. Hopefully that momentum can continue in Cincinnati. The Giants are better than the Reds, c'mon, they're 16 1/2 games out of the NL Central. They don't have a snowball's chance. Then again, neither do the Mets and they whooped us for two games.

Also in New York, Matt Cain threw a fastball that clanked off David Wright's helmet and sent him to the hospital. Wright might be out for the season. Cain rarely beans guys, I have to believe it was a mistake. Nonetheless, the retaliatory pitches flew at catcher Bengie Molina in the next inning.

Let's hope Zito can get it done tonight in Cincy.

Jax

Shark Week

Hey guys, Jax here, sweating in the garage.

We have a shop fan running in here and the side door open, so I just sit here and sleep and surf the Internet.

Anyway, we were watching Shark Week on the Discovery Channel the last few nights. Man, are those things fierce. Especially the Bull Sharks (Zambezis), once they touch something they are so agressive they will just gobble it up. Photo by underwatervideo.co.za.


Kind of like the opposite of the Giants' road offense, wouldn't you say?

I mean, in Monday night's game the bases were loaded in the 6th inning with one out. Two Giants came to the plate, including Eugenio Velez, and they just could not knock a run in. It basically cost them the game and they lost 4-3 to Houston. Last night's game was better, and the Giants hit a home run for the first time since June. No joke. Freddy Sanchez launched one and Pablo Sandoval hit another in the next at-bat. Pablo photo by sportsgrumblings.com.


If this road trip is an indication of the Giants' playoff chances, their hitting with runners in scoring position has got to get better. Especially on the road.

Right now their team RISP is not shark like. It's more like bait.

Jax

I think I have sleep apnea

Hey guys, Jax here.

After a long day of swimming and running around yesterday I fell asleep downstairs in Mom and Dad's room. I was sooo tired, I just lay on my side like a horse, which is how I normally sleep. I must have been snoring, because I woke up with a start.

I fell back asleep, then my own snoring actually woke me up. I think I have sleep apnea.

So I read online today (why isn't there DogMD? Y'know, like WebMD?) that there are mouthguard type things I can use.

F that. I would just chew the thing like my Jolly Ball toy (RIP). And oxygen tanks? I think it would get wrapped in my collar in the middle of the night.

Well, at least I can rest assured that the Giants are playing better.

They took 3 out of 4 against the Phillies over the weekend. And our new pal Freddy Sanchez hit a two-run double in his debut Sunday. They beat Philly 7-3 Sunday and showed they can slip by a good team when it counts. It's definitely not about home runs, it's about manufacturing runs.

On the whole, this season has been all about winning close games 1-0 or 3-2, partly because the Giants have a mediocre offense. All that experience winning close games could really pay dividends if we get to the playoffs. That's the best case scenario.

Anyway, I'm going back online now to look for snoring cures. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to hit up the comments board below.

And no, those goddamn BreathRight strips do not work on my big nose. One of the cats mentioned that this morning. Stupid cats.

Jax